Although investigators believe as many as 3,500 children were targeted; this case focussed on 70 of them in order to provide a manageable caseload for the court.
During the investigation, prosecutors discovered one case that had led to tragic consequences.
In 2018, he messaged 12-year-old Cimarron Thomas in West Virginia, USA. After complimenting her and getting a picture, he began his campaign of abuse.
He demanded more pictures of her and threatened to put her pictures online and expose her if she did not do what he said.
Scared, she did not tell anyone what was happening to her.
McCartney kept pursuing her and coming back for more photos and told her she had to include her little sister.
She refused to do so and said she would kill herself. He put up a countdown clock.
Cimarron shot herself in the head with her family’s legally held firearm, while she was still online with McCartney.
Her younger sister found her.
Tragically, 18 months later, Cimarron’s father Ben took his own life. When he died he did not know the reason why Cimarron had taken hers.
McCartney pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Cimarron Thomas earlier this year.
